Listen to Top 100 Audiobooks in Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

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Title: The Sky Below

Subtitle: A True Story of Summits, Space, and Speed

Author: Scott Parazynski, Susy Flory

Narrator: Scott Parazynski, Homer Hickam

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 51 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-01-17

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 74 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

An epic memoir from a man whose life is defined by exploration and innovation, The Sky Below re-creates some of the most unforgettable adventures of our time. From dramatic, high-risk spacewalks to author Scott Parazynski's death-defying quest to summit Mount Everest - his body ravaged by a career in space - listeners will experience the life of an elite athlete, physician, and explorer.

This intimate, compelling account offers a rare portrait of space exploration from the inside. A global nomad raised in the shadow of NASA's Apollo missions, Parazynski never lost sight of his childhood dream to one day don a spacesuit and float outside the airlock. With deep passion, unbridled creativity, resilience, humility, and self-deprecation, Parazynski chases his dream of the ultimate adventure experience, again and again and again. In an era that transitioned from moon shots to the Space Shuttle, space station, and Mars research, Parazynski flies with John Glenn, tests jet packs, trains in Russia to become a cosmonaut, and flies five missions to outer space (including seven spacewalks) in his seventeen-year NASA career.

An unparalleled, visceral opportunity to understand what it's like to train for - and deploy to - a home in zero gravity, The Sky Below also portrays an astronaut's engagement with the challenges of his life on Earth, including raising a beautiful autistic daughter and finding true love.

Critic Reviews:

"Scott Parazynski's drive, curiosity, inventiveness, and great humor shine through the pages of The Sky Below and will certainly inspire future generations to pursue their dreams with every fiber in their being." (John Glenn, NASA astronaut)

Members Reviews:

Life of a modern explorer

I appreciated Scotts openness about his exciting, yet personally challenging life. He was honest not just about his adventures, but also the toll it takes on family. The book is very inspiring, but serves as a reminder of the sacrifices one must make to achieve the level success he experienced. Astronauts are true heroes and this book doesnt disappoint in solidifying their place amongst mere mortals.

Fast Paced and Captivating

I was expecting to read about the space-flights and the space-walks of Scott Parazynski but I got a better deal instead.

The book took me beyond into mountaineering ventures and Antarctica. And lest I forget it even touched on some intimate details of the personal life of Parazynski leading to his falling in love and proposing in the Scott's Hut in Antarctica. So this is the first time that Ive had the opportunity reading a bit of romance in a book on space flight. Interesting but a welcome change.

The book is fast paced and youll not feel dull at any moment.

Inspirational story

I enjoyed this book and look forward to recommending this book to others. Thank you for sharing with us.

Amazing story of modern exploration

This book helps to define and describe the bravery and work of those Space Adventures of the 80s and 90s and early 2000s. Too often the heroes of our space exploring past are frozen in the 60s and 70s.

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Title: Dying

Subtitle: A Memoir

Author: Cory Taylor

Narrator: Larissa Gallagher

Format: Unabridged

Length: 3 hrs and 52 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-01-17

Publisher: HighBridge, a Division of Recorded Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 33 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

At the age of 60, Cory Taylor is dying of melanoma-related brain cancer. Her illness is no longer treatable: She now weighs less than her neighbor's retriever. As her body weakens, she describes the experience - the vulnerability and strength, the courage and humility, the anger and acceptance - of knowing she will soon die.

Written in the space of a few weeks, in a tremendous creative surge, this powerful and beautiful memoir is a clear-eyed account of what dying teaches: Taylor describes the tangle of her feelings, remembers the lives and deaths of her parents, and examines why she would like to be able to choose the circumstances of her death.

Taylor's last words offer a vocabulary for listeners to speak about the most difficult thing any of us will face. And while Dying: A Memoir is a deeply affecting meditation on death, it is also a funny and wise tribute to life.

Contact me for any questions: [email protected]

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Title: A Beautiful, Terrible Thing

Subtitle: A Memoir of Marriage and Betrayal

Author: Jen Waite

Narrator: Jen Waite

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 41 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-11-17

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 799 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

What do you do when you discover that the person you've built your life around never existed? When "it could never happen to me" does happen to you?

These are the questions facing Jen Waite when she begins to realize that her loving husband - the father of her infant daughter, her best friend, the love of her life - fits the textbook definition of psychopath. In a raw, first-person account, Waite recounts each heartbreaking discovery, every life-destroying lie, and reveals what happens once the dust finally settles on her demolished marriage.

After a disturbing email sparks Waite's suspicion that her husband is having an affair, she tries to uncover the truth and rebuild trust in her marriage. Instead she finds more lies, infidelity, and betrayal than she could have imagined. Waite obsessively analyzes her relationship, trying to find a single moment from the last five years that isn't part of the long con of lies and manipulation. With a dual time line narrative structure, we see Waite's romance bud, bloom, and wither simultaneously, making the heartbreak and disbelief even more affecting.

Critic Reviews:

"Like

Big Little Lies,

A Beautiful Terrible Thing is a startling reminder that fairy tales aren't real. A master class in suspenseful storytelling, Jen Waite recounts the lies, betrayals, and infidelity she endured with unrestrained honesty and deft candor. I couldn't turn away." (Jillian Lauren,

New York Times best-selling author of

Some Girls: My Life in a Harem and

Everything You Ever Wanted)

Members Reviews:

Feels like a really long Facebook post

This book spends far too much time on the minutia of details like "omg is he cheating?" Uh, it doesn't matter! Especially after that fact while writing the book. The first correlation between the other woman and his actions was proof enough anyway. And, she's called "the Croatian"?? Come on. I regret my purchase and only listened to the end because I was hoping we would be told more about all the warning signs she missed along the way.

First half held my interest, then I got bored

First off... the author is not the greatest narrator. She's not terrible, but there were many, many times where she sounded like a junior high school student reading aloud in class. N

The first half of the book was quite interesting. I listen to audiobooks on my drive to work, and I found myself eagerly looking forward to my time in the car to hear what came next.

Unfortunately, I felt the story really fizzled. I won't give the plot away... but from the introduction, I was expecting something really horrific. Not to make light of what happened .. it truly was awful. But the way the events were built up at the beginning.., I found myself thinking "that's it?" And I know this sounds callous... but the way she describes her reactions to the events, I couldn't help thinking "buck up girl! Yes... your husband is an a$$, but you still have a heck of a lot going for you! You have a place to go, supportive parents, someone to help you, etc". Again, I don't mean to make light of the situation, but her reactions were just so over the top. I've known people and read about others who had it much much worse and handled it without melting down like she did.

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Title: Best Seat in the House

Subtitle: Your Backstage Pass Through My WWE Journey

Author: Justin Roberts, Tommy Dreamer - foreword

Narrator: Justin Roberts

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 4 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-20-17

Publisher: Meyer & Meyer Sport, Ltd

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 157 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

**Revised and Edited Edition Now Available**

Justin Roberts always dreamed of being a ring announcer at World Wrestling Entertainment. From playing with action figures of the Ultimate Warrior, the Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels, Bret Hitman Hart and Hulk Hogan to actually announcing these larger-than-life characters to the ring, Roberts lived out the dream of countless, passionate wrestling fans worldwide.

Best Seat in the House is the inspirational story of Roberts' ambitious journey to becoming a full-time ring announcer at WWE, performing all over the world and announcing weekly live events, TV shows, and the enormously popular pay-per-view spectaculars for more than a decade.

In addition to announcing the top wrestlers in sports entertainment from Nature Boy Ric Flair, Rowdy Roddy Piper, Sgt. Slaughter, King Kong Bundy, and the Iron Sheik to Dwayne the Rock Johnson, Stone Cold Steve Austin, John Cena, Brock Lesnar, CM Punk, Chris Jericho, and the Undertaker, Roberts also relives entertaining and candid moments with his real-life superhero coworkers, workplace politics, grueling travel schedules, harsh requirements of WWE talent, and the overall merciless treatment from the higher-ups whose decisions can affect nearly the entire wrestling industry.

This book is the all-access backstage pass for those who have always wondered what it would be like to work at WWE under the infamous Vince McMahon and travel all over the world in cars, buses, and planes with the biggest stars of professional wrestling.

Justin Roberts pulls no punches and gives you an uncensored, raw look at the journey of a young man chasing, catching, and living his dream.

Members Reviews:

Honest book detailing the life of a WWE performer

Been waiting for the audio version of this book since I first heard about it on the Pro Wrestling Torch. Justin offers some great insider insight to the world of WWE. He pulls no punches for those he was mistreated by, and he is very open about those who helped him in his career.

The book is one of my favorite wrestling books, but there is an element of sour grapes that taints story to some degree. I believe what he says has happened but there seems to almost be the element of "I believe you, but want to hear what the other side has to say about this too", but we don't get that here obviously.

The only other minor gripe I had was the lack of editing before the audio book was published. The book is littered with instances where a line is repeated or corrected without editing out the flubbed line. If you can get past that and have a thirst for what WWE is like behind the scenes, you'll probably enjoy this book a great deal.

insightful inspirational AND TRULY TRUTHFUL

this is honestly the best book I've read! justin roberts really takes you for one hell of a ride! that puts you quite litrally in the best seat in the house! you will cry! you will laugh and sometimes get out right angry! it is a story of a life long fan who wanted nothing more than to live his dream! and actually accomplished it! a must own! for any true fan! That inspires to get into the business that we all love called pro wrestling! because it really is the bestSeatInTheHouse!

6 Star Book

Justin's narration feels like he was telling me the stories personally.

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Title: The Fact of a Body

Subtitle: A Murder and a Memoir

Author: Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich

Narrator: Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 37 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-16-17

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 450 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Before Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich begins a summer job at a law firm in Louisiana, working to help defend men accused of murder, she thinks her position is clear. The child of two lawyers, she is staunchly anti-death penalty. But the moment convicted murderer Ricky Langley's face flashes on the screen as she reviews old tapes - the moment she hears him speak of his crimes - she is overcome with the feeling of wanting him to die. Shocked by her reaction, she digs deeper and deeper into the case. Despite their vastly different circumstances, something in his story is unsettlingly, uncannily familiar.

Crime, even the darkest and most unsayable acts, can happen to any one of us. As Alexandria pores over the facts of the murder, she finds herself thrust into the complicated narrative of Ricky's childhood. And by examining the details of Ricky's case, she is forced to face her own story, to unearth long-buried family secrets and reckon with a past that colors her view of Ricky's crime.

But another surprise awaits: She wasn't the only one who saw her life in Ricky's.

An intellectual and emotional thriller that is also a different kind of murder mystery, The Fact of a Body is an audiobook not only about how the story of one crime was constructed - but about how we grapple with our own personal histories. Along the way it tackles questions about the nature of forgiveness and if a single narrative can ever really contain something as definitive as the truth. This groundbreaking, heart-stopping work, 10 years in the making, shows how the law is more personal than we would like to believe - and the truth more complicated and powerful than we could ever imagine.

Critic Reviews:

"This book is a marvel.

The Fact of a Body is equal parts gripping and haunting and will leave you questioning whether any one story can hold the full truth." (Celeste Ng, author of the

New York Times best-selling

Everything I Never Told You)

Members Reviews:

Memoir of Molestation

Let me start by saying that the writing style of the author was so deliberately erudite and MFA-ish that it distracted me from the stories she had to tell. There was never a tree, but always a steady oak against the yellow palette of the autumn sky. Not a filing cabinet, a white metal filing cabinet with each dent lovingly deliniated. Exhausting to listen to after a while.

Further, the reader is treated to a specific example of each feeling--a buzzing in my head, pressure in my chest, my limbs tingled--to such an extent--seemed like almost every page--that I started to get fed up and long for a simple declarative, "I felt," but it was not to be. I think people who like Elizabeth Gilbert's writing will find this memoir right in the sweet spot, but I found it hard to decide how I felt with all the overly descriptive, wordy explanations of the author's feelings. It read to me that authenticity was substituted for the display of a very expensive education (name drop: Harvard).

There's another rule that someone should add to MFA curriculums that would have helped me greatly with this one: leave room for the reader.

Profoundly Depressing and Ethically Problematic Storytelling

The author has every reason to convey the awful reality of what was done to her as a child.

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Title: The Wellness Project

Subtitle: How I Learned to Do Right by My Body, Without Giving Up My Life

Author: Phoebe Lapine

Narrator: Phoebe Lapine

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 33 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-16-17

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 106 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

After she was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease in her early 20s, Phoebe Lapine felt overwhelmed by her doctor's strict protocols and confused when they directly conflicted with information on the best-seller list. After experiencing mixed results and a life of deprivation that seemed unsustainable at best, she adopted 12 of her own wellness directives - including eliminating sugar, switching to all-natural beauty products, and getting in touch with her spiritual side - to find out which lifestyle changes truly impacted her health for the better. The Wellness Project is the insightful and hilarious result of that year of exploration - part memoir and part health and wellness primer (complete with 20 healthy recipes), it's a must-listen not just for those suffering from autoimmune disease but for anyone looking for simple ways to improve their health without sacrificing life's pleasures.

Members Reviews:

1st World Problems & Naturopathy

Before I begin, let me start by saying I really really wanted to like this, and there were a few sections which I found quite interesting and well researched, but overall I wanted to quit, increasingly more with every passing chapter. It took me such a long time to finish this book and now that I have I feel I owe it to fellow readers to review since all the reviews that I saw before my purchase were 5 stars.

If Ivanka Trump, minus a few billion dollars, and an actual career/job, were to write a wellness book under the astute guidance of Gwyneth Paltrow and Marie Condo - this would be the book. Perhaps they would call it 'Women Who Do Wellness'; To be fair I will list the things I did like before I recount the anger I felt while forcing myself through these chapters.

Pros

1. Green Beauty - this is a journey I have experience with and I still struggle with it. (I totally understand my hypocrisy in calling out this book but saying this is a positive aspect - It's stupidly expensive to buy organic skincare, unless you just don't put on any makeup ever). I probably researched the same topic to death, and while I did not learn anything new myself from the chapter she included others who haven't considered the chemical crap in their makeup or skincare products may benefit from the information she has included. I think the topic is extremely important, and I commend her for researching this and including the information.

2. The chapter on probiotics and gut health - I actually learned a few things from her virtual meeting with some microbiology professors over skype. It only reinforces my obsession with kombucha. I also think our society downplays the overuse of antibiotics and how damaging it may eventually be to the delicate balance of our gut bacteria and the evolution of smart viruses.

3. From her book, I found her blog, and there are amazing recipes, which I plan to try. We may not agree on all wellness topics, but I'd absolutely buy a cookbook if she wrote one.

4. Charlie and Baron - I was so annoyed with her I felt camaraderie with the creatures forced to share their lives with her. Is that a pro? Not sure - but Ill list it here anyway to balance things out. Charlie, and Baron the beagle - you both have my sympathy for your involuntary presence in this wellness journey.

Cons

1.

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Title: The Push

Subtitle: A Climber's Journey of Endurance, Risk, and Going Beyond Limits

Author: Tommy Caldwell

Narrator: Johnathan McClain

Format: Unabridged

Length: 13 hrs and 27 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-16-17

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 437 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

A dramatic, inspiring memoir by legendary rock climber Tommy Caldwell, the first person to free climb the Dawn Wall of Yosemite's El Capitan.

On January 14, 2015, Tommy Caldwell, along with his partner, Kevin Jorgeson, summited what is widely regarded as the hardest climb in history - Yosemite's nearly vertical 3,000-foot Dawn Wall, after 19 days on the route. Caldwell's odds-defying feat was the culmination of an entire lifetime of pushing himself to his limits as an athlete.

This engrossing memoir chronicles the journey of a boy with a fanatical mountain-guide father who was determined to instill toughness in his son to a teen whose obsessive nature drove him to the top of the sport-climbing circuit. Caldwell's affinity for adventure then led him to the vertigo-inducing and little understood world of big wall free climbing. But his evolution as a climber was not without challenges; in his early 20s, he was held hostage by militants in a harrowing ordeal in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan. Soon after, he lost his left index finger in an accident. Later his wife, and main climbing partner, left him. Caldwell emerged from these hardships with a renewed sense of purpose and determination. He set his sights on free climbing El Capitan's biggest, steepest, blankest face - the Dawn Wall. This epic assault took more than seven years, during which time Caldwell redefined the sport, found love again, and became a father.

The Push is an arresting story of focus, drive, motivation, endurance, and transformation, a book that will appeal to anyone seeking to overcome fear and doubt, cultivate perseverance, turn failure into growth, and find connection with family and with the natural world.

Members Reviews:

Best adventure, and maybe best autobiography I have read.

I was excited for this book, being familiar with Tommy's climbs and adventures. I've read countless similar books, and was geared up for another interesting, but somewhat superficial armchair adventure personal history. However, this book is instead one of the most thoughtful, introspective, and at times emotional personal stories I have read. Tommy has the ability to see the flaws and the grace in all the relationships around him in a mixture of love and honesty. The stories of his adventures are fun and descriptive, but also take pauses to discuss the thoughts, fears, and doubts in Tommy's mind at the time. He does an excellent job embodying his 15, 20, and 30 year old self so we can experience his growing up along side him. I am super impressed at this first book from Tommy- hopefully there are more to come!

Exceptional, beautiful

This is such an amazing and insightful story. Tommy Caldwell tells it with amazing detail, transporting us into the joy, agony and beauty of the mountains. I will listen again for sure.

A rare life story!

I couldn't put it aside! This would probably be something for non climbers just as well too!

Interesting

I liked this book. Tommy doesn't seem to follow his own realizations, so I liked the look into the contradictions of his psyche. Certain sections could have been developed more, while others left out. I highly recommend Beth Roddens article on outside magazine as a mirror. Also, the unquestioned sexism throughout the book and focus on conditional love was frustrating.

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Title: My Lovely Wife in the Psych Ward

Subtitle: A Memoir

Author: Mark Lukach

Narrator: Josh Bloomberg

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 39 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-02-17

Publisher: Harper Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 194 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

A heart-wrenching yet hopeful memoir of a young marriage that is redefined by mental illness and affirms the power of love.

Mark and Giulia's life together began as a storybook romance. They fell in love at 18, married at 24, and were living their dream life in San Francisco. When Giulia was 27, she suffered a terrifying and unexpected psychotic break that landed her in the psych ward for nearly a month. One day she was vibrant and well adjusted; the next she was delusional and suicidal, convinced that her loved ones were not safe.

Eventually Giulia fully recovered, and the couple had a son. But soon after Jonas was born, Giulia had another breakdown, and then a third a few years after that. Pushed to the edge of the abyss, everything the couple had once taken for granted was upended.

A story of the fragility of the mind and the tenacity of the human spirit, My Lovely Wife in the Psych Ward is, above all, a love story that raises profound questions: How do we care for the people we love? What and whom do we live for? Breathtaking in its candor, radiant with compassion, and written with dazzling lyricism, Lukach's is an intensely personal odyssey through the harrowing years of his wife's mental illness, anchored by an abiding devotion to family that will affirm listeners' faith in the power of love.

Members Reviews:

touched me so much

This book really tugged on my heart . It was so honest and raw. I felt myself relate as a person who struggled with depression. I also related on a basic human level. At times I felt angry at Julia and sorry for Mark. I realize that this is the problem. We do not put enough understanding into mental health. I am sure that if there was anyway that she could have controlled her psychotic episodes then she would have. what a great book. now I need to make up the sleep for the two nights that I lost from not being able to put this book down.

Loving Tribute to a Wife by a Committed Husband

This is really more of a true account by the loving husband caring for his sick wife. We see her struggles with an unforgiving illness in the eyes of someone who will stand by her no matter what they face. People should be so lucky to experience that kind of love. This was excellently written and narrated. Difficult at times, but important to hear. Beautiful.

beautiful story!

i love the book and the narrator. is a sad and emotional book. the last chapters are to repetitive dor the situations but is real life. and real life sometimes is like that.

Beautiful, raw & honest peak into mental illness

Where does My Lovely Wife in the Psych Ward rank among all the audiobooks youve listened to so far?

I loved this book. It was a beautiful, raw & honest peak into mental illness. I liked that it was from the caregivers perspective. Other books I've read are from the individual's perspective. I too struggle from bipolar, and I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in it. It's not a walk in the park, but people who suffer with this mental illness are worth fighting for and giving a voice to. Bipolar can't be cured, but it can be managed to allow the individual to live a relatively normal life.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Mark, the husband.

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Title: All over the Place

Subtitle: Adventures in Travel, True Love, and Petty Theft

Author: Geraldine DeRuiter

Narrator: Geraldine DeRuiter

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 28 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-02-17

Publisher: Hachette Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 32 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Some people are meant to travel the globe, to unwrap its secrets and share them with the world. And some people have no sense of direction, are terrified of pigeons, and get motion sickness from tying their shoes. These people are meant to stay home and eat nachos.

Geraldine DeRuiter is the latter. But she won't let that stop her.

Hilarious, irreverent, and heartfelt, All over the Place chronicles the years Geraldine spent traveling the world after getting laid off from a job she loved. Those years taught her a great number of things, though the ability to read a map was not one of them. She has only a vague idea of where Russia is, but she now understands her Russian father better than ever before. She learned that what she thought was her mother's functional insanity was actually an equally incurable condition called "being Italian". She learned what it's like to travel the world with someone you already know and love - how that person can help you make sense of things and make far-off places feel like home. She learned about unemployment and brain tumors, lost luggage and lost opportunities, and just getting lost in countless terminals and cabs and hotel lobbies across the globe. And she learned that sometimes you can find yourself exactly where you need to be - even if you aren't quite sure where you are.

Critic Reviews:

"DeRuiter's funny, honest portrayal of life's small and large adventures will convince any hesitant would-be traveler that you don't need bravery or even an above average sense of direction to venture out into the world-all you need is a plane ticket and a sense of humor (and maybe a plunger)." (Rachel Friedman, author of The Good Girl's Guide to Getting Lost)

"Geraldine DeRuiter's All Over the Place is a travel memoir of sorts, but I'd enjoy reading pretty much any topic she wanted to cover. Her voice is funny, witty and warm, and her stories sparkle. This book is a travel companion you'll be happy you brought along." (Lauren Graham, star of Gilmore Girls and New York Times best-selling author of Talking as Fast as I Can)

"I laughed so hard during the book's 'disclaimer' that I woke up my baby, and then actively ignored him to continue reading. Geraldine is at turns laugh-out-loud hilarious and grab-me-some-tissues tender, and all I could think of after reading this was 'can we take a trip together please?'" (Nora McInerny Purmort, author of It's Okay to Laugh (Crying Is Cool Too))

Members Reviews:

I laughed and cried!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I've actually purchased ten additional print copies for friends, family, and strangers. So yes, I'd recommend this book.

What about Geraldine DeRuiters performance did you like?

It is always a treat to hear a book orated by the author.

Any additional comments?

I read Geraldine DeRuiters book in one day. I laughed and cried through the first three-quarters of All Over the Place in print and then when I couldnt delay leaving the house for another minute, I downloaded the Audible version and listened in the car. Both the print and Audible formats are lovely. Geraldine is honest, vulnerable, relatable and hilarious about her less-than-perfect adventures around the globe.

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Title: Fur Volk and Fuhrer

Subtitle: The Memoir of a Veteran of the 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler

Author: Erwin Bartmann, Derik Hammond

Narrator: James Foster

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 48 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-11-17

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 211 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Like many Germans, Berlin schoolboy Erwin Bartmann fell under the spell of the Zeitgeist cultivated by the Nazis. Convinced he was growing up in the best country in the world, he dreamt of joining the Leibstandarte, Hitler's elite Waffen SS unit. Tall, blond, blue-eyed, and just 17-years-old, Erwin fulfilled his dream on Mayday 1941, when he gave up his apprenticeship at the Glaser bakery in Memeler Strasse and walked into the Lichterfelde barracks in Berlin as a raw, volunteer recruit.

On arrival at the Eastern Front in late summer 1941, Erwin was assigned to a frontline communications squad and soon discovered that survival was a matter of luck - or the protection of a guardian angel. Good fortune finally deserted Erwin on 11 July 1943 when shrapnel sizzled through his lung during the epic Battle of Kursk-Prokhorovka. Following a period of recovery, and promotion to Unterscharführer, Erwin took up a post as machine-gun instructor with the Ausbildung und Ersatz Bataillon.

From the war on the southern sector of the Eastern Front to a bomb-shattered Berlin populated largely by old men and demoralized lonely women, this candid eyewitness account offers a unique and sometimes surprising perspective on the life of a young Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler volunteer.

Critic Reviews:

"This is a valuable memoir, providing both a good account of the nature of the fighting in the East, and the changing attitudes of the author, both towards the Nazi regime and the chances of final victory." (

History of War)

Members Reviews:

Sehr gut.

Slightly naive, but honest. The end of the war chapters were the best. It is worth a read.

Wow what a ride

These guys had a life not many will experience. Hell on the eastern front with sex strewn about. No doubt there are many men now forgotten whose stories we would die for.

Incredible Biography

What did you love best about Fur Volk and Fuhrer?

Totally absorbing - did not want to turn it off. Cant believe the author is 88 years old.

best WW2 audio of all time

"the Russians tanks came for the front line.... that is when I saw naked German women and children tied to the tanks alive!......filthy dogs I thought and paying them back is all I could think of...." If this doesn't grab you by the balls then you need to wake up from the dead.

Insight into Waffen SS

Interesting autobiographical look into the life of a loyal Waffen SS soldier who fought to the end of the war in the Liebstandarte. Gives a unique look from the perspective of a soldier uninvolved in anything around the einsatzgruppen or murder squads. The majority of the Waffen SS were men who just wanted to be a part of Germany's elite fighting formations. This book tells the story of one of those men and I absolutely inhaled it. Great listen, check it out.